After 8 mos I'm thinking of giving it up. I can't believe I'm thinking of this but I don't know how to recover. DD bit me Friday 12 am and left a small sore under my nipple. Well since then nursing has been excruciatingly painful but I've gotten through it. Problem was the sore wasn't healing. Well today she bit me and opened up the sore even more, left me bloody, I screamed out in pain and even smacked her leg. I didn't hit her hard at all but of course it scared her and I felt like a monster. I'm scared to death to put her on the other side so I tried giving her some ebm but she hates a bottle and only plays with a straw sippy cup and she's wanting to nurse now. I feel like I have to keep her off my left breast till the sore can heal and I can't pump b/c that opens the sore back up. Should I try to hand express it? What if she bites the other side? Should I try a nipple shield? I never used one before. I love nursing and wanted to at least get to a year and then longer until she started to show signs of wanting to wean. It breaks my heart to think we might stop. How do I heal this and keep going in the meantime. Oh and I'm very concerned with supply since I already take domperidone.

I need some encouragement and some BTDT stories big time. If you've experienced something like this, how did you recover?

Please help.

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I haven't had this problem, but I'm sure somebody here can give you some good advice!

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the only time that a bite caused broken skin/bleeding was because i was nursing an almost asleep ds in the car, and dh hit a bump, causing my nipple to start coming out of his mouth, setting off a reflex for him to clamp down to try to keep the nipple.... OUCH!

i suggest all purpose nipple ointment.

having a crack/open wound is a good way to let infection in, apno has an antifungal cream(to prevent thrush), a steroid(speeds healing), an antibacterial (prevents bacterial infection) in it.

let me know if you need the recipe/ingredients list so your doc can call you in a rx for it.


a nipple shield won't really help imo, my best suggestion right now would be to continue nursing her on the other side first so she does her most vigorous suckling there, then when you switch her, angle her so that she isn't putting pressure on the spot that is so sore.

((((hugs))))


~ as for quitting. my best suggetsion for that is make sure that you REALLY want to. if you are already using dom to maintain supply, think of how hard complete relactation would be if you change your mind after quitting.


a couple of quick questions for you, when she bites is it towards the end or beginning of a nursing session? are you nursing first and then using solids or vice versa, or is she not taking solids at all? (dd started arouns 3 months, ds started around 9 months). is she teething? does she have a cold or ear problem? how many days/weeks etc has she been doing this.

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I don't want to quit! But the fear is paralyzing me. I feel depressed and betrayed.

She has only really bitten twice, and both times they have been toward the beginning. The original bite was around midnight, we were nursing in bed and both half asleep. It took me a few min to wake up and realize what was happening and by then the damage was done. Yesterday when it happened again she nursed for maybe 1 min and I'm pretty sure she was hungry. In retrospect tho, he tv was loud, we were in the living room and her daddy was close by, I think something distracted her and made her pull back exposing the teeth.

When I worked up the courage to nurse her again on the good boob yesterday I held her head very close to me which she didn't really like and I kept the session short.

She does take solids but not a whole lot. She eats about 1/4 tub of veggie & fruit at noon and dinnertime and I always nurse first. Problem is she is so distractible that she never nurses very well these days and I feel like I'm offering all the time. That has to stop, I have to feed her only when she is truly hungry and ready to nurse properly.

She is most definatley teething, chewing on everything in sight, irritable and cranky. I'm not sure if she's working on a top tooth or more bottom, she has the two middle bottom now.

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have you tried teethign tablets? have they helped her any? (some babies seem to have no effect from them, and for others hylands is like a miracle, lol)

if you wanna keep offering to nurse her, that is not gonna be a bad thing, i'd suggest wrapping your finger in a wet cold washcloth first thoguh, and rubbing her gums firmly beforehand though. the pressure feels good on the gums, and the coldness of the cloth helps calm inflammation/swelling a little bit.

maybe the first night it happened was similar to how my bite happened? maybe the way you were laying combined with the way she was laying etc made for a bad latch, and your nipple was starting to slide a bit out and she reflexively chomped down to try to continue nurse?

7-9 months is a distractible age- btdt. the good news is that "this too shall pass"


wish i could do more than send cyberhugs mama. you've done a great job thus far, and nursed through a really rough spot before.

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Kenda - I had to have been as scared as you are now to nurse after I was bit! I cried b/c I was afraid, and kept my finger right next to her mouth just in case. But like I said before, It has been over a month, and I really don't think about it anymore.
Being bit was a wake up call for both of us. I make sure she's hungry before I try to nurse her, and I think she noticed something was up after she bit since she hasn't done it again.
You've really been through so much, it's really a shame to have to quit now. I thought it was the end for us too, but everything is really going well now!
I hope that you heal quickly, and cautiously nurse Addi, and I bet things will go suprisingly well. But if she does bite again - then you'll know that you did all you could and it might make the decision of whether to quit easier.

Sending lots of hugs your way! Please keep us updated on how you guys are doing!

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Jana

Cameryn Taylor - 4/1/03
Aubrey Marie - 2/16/07

hope you can get through this!! just reading it made my nipples hurt, i dread teething! good luck

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Just a little update, things are so much better. I took Monday off from nursing on the left side and just doctored my wound all day long. Well it seems to have paid off since it's closed back up and healing nicely. I'm nursing her again on the left since Tuesday morning. I nurse her side lying with her upside down so that her teeth are on the opposite side of my nipple. It is still uncomfortable to nurse on that side but not excruciatingly painful like when the sore was still open. She has not tried to bite me since. I nurse only when she's hungry, in the bedroom in the dark no tv and I watch her like a hawk. Then after she finishes I praise her. I'm so glad I didn't give up, just at the time it hurt so bad and looked like something we wouldn't recover from. Thanks for all the encouragement ladies. Also, for those who have not yet been bitten, please be wary when the teeth start coming in and don't let yourself get chewed on like I did. I believe that's why things got so bad, that first bite was allowed to go on b/c I didnt realize what was happening.

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Yay! I'm glad you've worked things out and it is getting better!

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glad things are on the upswing again

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Great news. That happened to me exactly with my son .....I am entering that difficult nursing age with my daughter now and it stinks. Each day is so challenging when they become distracted and or biting. I encourage you to NOT offer anything else at this time bc the baby could start to prefer the "easy" way. That is what happened with my son. It was so emotional! I only hope my daughter and I weather the storm better.

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***Sara***
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